And So the Huntress falls in Love
by jul244
Summary: May contain spoilers from TLO. When the Hunters disappear while tracking a new deadly foe, it is left to Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia to find them. But will confused feelings between two of them get in the way of their quest?
1. A Battle With BeefBoy

_First Fanfic… Please r&r! ;)_

**Percy's POV**

Oh, great. Naturally, the week after the final showdown at Olympus I am once again confronted with my old, ugly, pal, the Minotaur. Gods forbid I get _any _relaxation or down-time. I was just taking a walk at dusk with Grover, Annabeth, and Thalia (and we may or may not have _accidentally_ strayed out of the camp borders) when we were ambushed by said bull hybrid.

He lumbered towards us deliberately, and Grover bleated nervously, but stood his ground. After all, he _is_ a member of the Council of Cloven Elders. Thalia drew her bow and Annabeth her knife. I merely heaved an exasperated sigh and evaluated the situation. Finally, I came to my decision.

"Well, hey there, Beef Boy!" I called cheerfully, "Did you want to take a swim in the Long Island Sound as well as the Hudson? Because I'd be quite happy to help with that." I uncapped Riptide, and slashed it menacingly through the air. The Minotaur bleated and snuffled the air nervously.

"Should we make our move?" Thalia whispered beside me. Her long black hair looked beautiful in the setting sun, with the silver tiara glittering on top. She had on her 'Death to Barbie' t-shirt, which somehow made her look even prettier. I paused for a moment, contemplating this. "Well, Seaweed Brain!" Thalia rolled her electric blue eyes at me. I recovered, and without answering, charged the Minotaur. My friends followed suit.

**Thalia's POV**

Percy and I charged the Minotaur head on, causing a distraction for Grover to run to the side of the beast. Percy was doing a pretty good job provoking the monster and keeping its attention on him (I gotta admit, Percy's pretty creative about those insults), so I ran around to the monster's other side.

Unfortunately, the Minotaur seemed to realize it was a trap. With a mighty bellow, he got under Percy's guard, and hit him hard in the jaw. Ouch. Even with his invincibility, that _had_ to have hurt. Percy fell back on his butt (which would have been funny in other circumstances) and lost his grip on Riptide. Before he could recover, the Minotaur drew his battle axe in one swift move and swung it directly at Percy. Had it not been for the River Styx, Percy would have been sliced like a loaf of bread. Instead, the axe hit Percy in the neck (again, OW!) and knocked him over a few feet.

After a second, Percy got back up with Riptide in hand, looking really, **really** pissed. His jade eyes flashed, and small spider web-like cracks spread in the ground at his feet, and saltwater began to gush from the fissures. All at once, the stream reared back like some sort of watery serpent and nailed the Minotaur like a high power fire hose right between its eyes. Grover threw a pinecone in the Minotaur's face from the side, and instead of bouncing off, it lodged in one of the monster's nostrils.

The bull man grunted in agony and turned to Grover. I notched my bow and sent six arrows into the kinks in the monster's armor, and he stumbled backward. Percy started to go in for the kill, but that's when Annabeth made her move.

She had been prowling around the battle looking for an opening, invisible because of her Yankees cap. As soon as the Minotaur hesitated, she plunged her bronze knife into the Minotaur's neck, and he burst into dust.

"Nice one, Annabeth!" Grover congratulated her after we caught our breath. I nodded and grinned. Annabeth turned to Percy.

"How's your jaw?" She asked innocently enough, but I saw a mischievous gleam in her eye. Percy glared at her and murmured something intelligible, and I giggled. Percy then turned those bright green eyes on me.

"What's so funny?" he snapped angrily.

"Oh, nothing…" I tried to conceal my smile. He raised one eyebrow (He's quite proud of that trick) and kept staring at me wordlessly.

"I just think it's funny that Mr. I'm-So-Super-Cool-and-Unbeatable fell backward on his invincible butt all because he got a little bump on the jaw!" I laughed, along with Grover and Annabeth. Percy's face turned bright red, and he turned and stormed back to camp. We followed behind him, laughing all the way.


	2. Breakfast

_Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews! :) I've only planned the next couple of chapters, and would love some suggestions! Please feel free to message me with any ideas you have! Oh, yeah. I forgot to mention that Percy and Annabeth aren't currently together (and never have been) and this is post-Last Olympian… Okay, okay. I've rambled enough. Please read & review! :D_

**Percy's POV- That same night**

I was lying there in my cabin, staring up at the ceiling and listening to the gurgle of my fountain in the far corner, and trying not to think about what happened during the fight with the Minotaur. _It was nothing, _I insisted to myself, _Nothing!_

Right now, you may be wondering what 'nothing' is. Well, I'll tell you. 'Nothing' is the way I keep thinking of how beautiful Thalia looked with her jet-black hair falling down past her shoulders in a gorgeous dark curtain. 'Nothing' was the way my heart-beat fluttered like a humming bird when those intense blue eyes met mine. 'Nothing' is how I'm pretty much _screwed_ for falling in love a Huntress.

_You're not in love with a Huntress! _I told myself angrily, _you just need to calm down and think of a logical explanation for what you're feeling._

I managed to explain away the fluttering heart-beat. I pinned it on the effects of the adrenaline from the battle with the Minotaur. It was just coincidence that Thalia and I made eye-contact at the time. My acknowledgement about her hair had me stumped though… Post-traumatic stress from the war perhaps? Gas leak? A magnetic reversal of the Earth's poles? My feeble attempts to explain away the fact that I may be falling for Thalia got more and more far-fetched as I drifted off to sleep.

**Thalia's POV- The next morning**

I woke up in a really, really bad mood. There was honestly no reason, it was just one of those days. Plus, I'm really not a morning person. There's really nothing good about them, especially at Camp Half-Blood. You're tired, you look like crud, and then you have to go down to the pavilion (still looking like crud, I might add) and in my case go sit at a very lonely table.

So anyway, I managed to summon the willpower to drag my butt out of bed, and I ran a brush through my hair. It was no use, so I just pulled back into a ponytail. I looked at my lieutenant of Artemis tiara, and after a moment's hesitation, placed it on top of my head. I didn't have to wear it because Artemis had given me three weeks off of my duties to spend at camp, but I wore it anyway to show my superiority to the average camper. Also, it showed that _no one_ can screw with the Hunters and get away with it.

After I scraped part of my breakfast into the fire as sacrifice to the gods, I slumped over to the Zeus table. I was not quite yet over my morning grogginess. I hate mornings. Did I mention that? I resolved to put my head down on the table and take a quick nap, at least until the Hermes cabin arrived. I was NOT going to fall asleep around them while they had access to maple syrup.

Just then, a certain Son of the Sea God came strolling in, looking WAY to refreshed and cheerful. That made me suspicious. Percy hates mornings even more than I do! He purposefully managed his schedule so that he doesn't have to get up until 10:30, with his first lesson at eleven. I guess it helps when you can just jump out of the shower and dry yourself off in less than a second. But this confused me, because it wasn't even eight-thirty for crying out loud! What the Hades had gotten into him!

**Percy's POV**

I plopped down at the Poseidon table, and noticed Thalia lying face down on her bench, with her face hidden in her arms. Probably trying to steal a quick nap, I figured. I got an idea. An idea that would probably get me slapped, but an idea all the same. I slid down to the edge of my bench, the side that was right next to the Zeus table.

_SCREECH! _My bench made quite a satisfying squealing sound as I pushed it across the marble floor towards the Zeus table. Thalia stirred, but didn't lift her head. All the campers turned to glare at me, looking highly annoyed. I grinned and put a finger to my lips, then pointed to Thalia's sleeping figure. Almost everyone grinned in anticipation.A lot of campers giggled, knowing where I was going with this.

_SCREECH!_ This time Thalia looked up. Every camper in the pavilion turned away. I pretended to have developed a sudden interest in my eggs. Thalia glanced around a moment, then frowned and put her head back in her arms.

_SCREEEEEEEECH! _Loudest one yet. Thalia lifted her head once more, thoroughly irritated. Excellent. She stared at me with dagger eyes, knowing I was up to something. I avoided her eyes, trying to keep a straight face. The once three foot span between our tables was now mere inches apart. Thalia gave me one more scowl, and then put her head back in her arms. It was now or never.

_WHOMP! _ The water bottle on Thalia's table exploded, completely drenching the daughter of Zeus. The entire pavilion erupted in laughter as Thalia squealed and jumped up. I was laughing too, until Thalia turned her perfect ten glare on me.

"I am going to give you three seconds to explain yourself, Seaweed Brain. One…"

"Psh. You don't scare m—"

"TWO…" She was giving me the death stare, and I knew she meant business. The other campers were silently cracking up, some of them positively crying with mirth.

"THREE!" she finished menacingly. I did what any brave hero of Olympus would do. I took off out of the pavilion and ran like Hades back towards my cabin, with a very ticked off daughter of Zeus hot on my heels. All of the campers were laughing behind us, and before I knew it, Thalia and I were, too.

_Hope you liked it! I'm going to try to get the main plot going next chapter, since this was just kinda a filler. Please read and review! _


	3. Confused Feelings

_I'm sorry! I thought I uploaded three new chapters, but for some reason they didn't post to fan-fic. =/ Sorry 'bout that. I'll be sure to triple check that they upload in the future. Anyway, read & review please! _

**Thalia's POV- that evening**

"OWWW!" Percy yelped, rubbing his arm. I had just given him one of my deluxe static shocks. I must admit, it made quite a satisfying zapping noise when I touched his shoulder.

"That's what you get for that stupid stunt this morning, Seaweed Brain!" I growled at him. He scowled.

"I told you I was sorry for that! Besides, that hurt! My entire arms gone numb…" he complained, flexing his fingers.

"Stop whining. What are you doing here anyway?" I asked. Percy had been sitting all alone on the docks, staring off into space for the last fifteen minutes. He looked at me strangely, as if planning what to say next.

"Just thinking about…. Just thinking," he stopped himself.

Interesting. What's going on with him? I wanted to know what was up, but I didn't want to force the subject, so I said, "Wow, Percy, you were thinking! That must be really hard for you!" I joked. He shot me a look.

"Hey, c'mon, you know I was only kidding. What's the matter?" I asked gently, "Is something up between you and Annabeth?"

"Annabeth! What the Hades does she got to do with anything!" Percy looked really confused. I studied in face for a moment, and realized he wasn't acting. I got embarrassed.

"Well, it's just… I, er, thought… you two were, you know… together?" I stammered. Percy looked shell-shocked.

"Annabeth… And _me?_ Gods, no! Don't get me wrong, she's cool and nice and all that, but…. No, definitely not," he said, totally red in the face. That made two of us. This conversation had gone from totally normal to full-tilt awkward in about five seconds. A long silence followed.

"I got word from Lady Artemis earlier," I informed Percy, trying to change the topic.

"What did she say?" he queried, looked pleased about the topic change.

"There's a change in our plans… I'm leaving Thursday," I said quietly.

"You're leaving _Thursday_!" he yelped, "That's only three days from now! Ah, crap!" Percy looked upset, more so than I was comfortable with.

"Um, yeah," I said, "Why is that so terrible?"

"Uh, no reason. I just, uh…er… nothing," he was stuttering, looking totally embarrassed,"No reason… uh…Hey! It's getting late, so I'd better go, uh, c-clean up my cabin before dinner. Bye!" Without another word, he got up and quickly strode back to his cabin.

**Percy's POV**

After a long day of thoroughly making a complete fool of myself, I was exhausted. But I still had trouble sleeping, because my conversation with Thalia echoed in my ears. Three days. I couldn't believe it. She was going to be gone in THREE days! I didn't know why I was so pissed about it, but I could definitely wager a guess.

I think I was so irritated about because there was some part of me that wanted to figure out my feelings for Thalia before she left. I felt like there were two sides of me, both trying to get their way. My heart was completely for a Percy-Thalia relationship. My brain, on the other hand, kept reminding me that Thalia was a Huntress, and she was truly happy. I definitely wanted her to be happy, no matter what. But I couldn't help but argue with myself. _Why can't she be happy with me? _After laying awake for what seemed like hours, I finally managed to fall asleep.

When I finally got up the next morning (back to my usual 10:30 routine), I avoided Thalia. As much as I wanted to figure out my feelings for her, I did NOT want to talk to her alone. I was nervous about whether or not she was still thinking about my idiocy last night.

After I finished grooming Blackjack I went off into the woods by myself. I was looking for a monster to fight. The forest was quiet, and the only sound I heard was the squish of wet foliage under my shoes. Suddenly, the sound of a twig cracking echoed through the forest. It was an innocent enough sound, but I was the only one in this part of the forest… Or so I thought.

I whirled around, and scanned the trees behind me. A dark figure of someone, or something, was crouched not six feet away! I had had just enough time to lift my shield before the thing hurtled out from behind the tree and attacked me!


	4. New Threat

**Percy's POV**

"Get off me now, or you'll be sorry!" I growled.

"No, thanks!" Annabeth giggled, wrestling to try to keep my arms pinned under my heavy shied.

"Yeah, I'm good here," Thalia laughed, sitting on my chest. They had seen me walking into the woods, and decided to ambush me. Annabeth had been crouched in a ready position, being the dark shadow I saw, and Thalia had been up in the tree, waiting to drop down on top of me. Apparently, this was their idea of _fun._ Needless to say, it was not mine.

"Yeah, yeah, you're both hilarious. Now will you get off me?" I rolled my eyes.

"Say the magic word!" Annabeth sang happily. I cursed at her.

"Wow, not very friendly, are you?" Thalia laughed, "Grab the rope, Annabeth!"

"Leave the rope where it is, Annabeth, or I swear Thalia and you are going to end up with a make-over courtesy of the Aphrodite cabin," I threatened. I noticed Grover standing a few feet away, trying to keep from laughing at me. I glared at him in outrage.

"Ooooooo, scary," Annabeth grinned at me, successfully having pulled a coil of rope closer to her with her foot. Thalia reached over and grabbed my arms to try to keep me pinned while Annabeth removed the shield. I seized my chance. My legs were free, so I swung my entire body out from under Thalia, who rolled of me and landed on her back. She got her breath knocked out of her, so I pushed Annabeth away from me and concentrated. Water on the ground roared up and formed coils around the two girls, like a watery rope. All at once the water froze, keeping the girls as immobile as if they'd been tied up. I looked to Grover.

"Thanks for the support, buddy," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Anytime, Percy," he grinned, then asked "When did you learn that neat trick with the water?"

"About two-seconds ago," I replied, then smiled. I was remembering my mother saying the exact same thing to me after firing a shotgun at Kronos's army. Had that really only been a week and a half ago? Thalia's angry outburst brought me back to reality.

"HELLO, SEAWEED BRAIN? We're still here!" she screamed.

"Oh, hi there!" I said cheerfully, then turned away from her and winked at Grover.

"Let us go!" Annabeth glowered at me.

"Uh…. no. I have a better idea. Grover you grab Annabeth, I'll grab Thalia. I hope you two know how to swim!" I gave them one last grin, then picked up Thalia and half-dragged her back the way we came. Grover did the same with Annabeth. After a few minutes of yelling, pinching, and cussing from Annabeth and Thalia we reached the canoe lake.

"DON"T…YOU… DARE…" Thalia threatened then zapped me, hard, on the same spot on my shoulder. I swore loudly, then glanced at Grover.

"Three… two… ONE!" Grover and I shoved Thalia and Annabeth into the lake, and I dissolved their icy bonds so they could swim. Both girls resurfaced, sputtering, and swam back towards the dock Grover and I were standing on. Grover and I were laughing hysterically as Annabeth and Thalia grabbed our sneakers and pulled us into the water with them.

We spent the rest of the afternoon swimming around, and having a good time. Eventually, Thalia swam over and, by her tone, I knew it was time to get serious.

"I have to leave super early Thursday morning, which is the day after tomorrow," she said, "The Hunters have caught the trail of something powerful, and evil. That's why I'm leaving early. I have to join up with them and assist the hunt,"

"What is it that you're trying to track?" I asked.

"Well, Seaweed Brain, if I knew, I would have volunteered that information," she rolled her eyes at me, and then continued. "All I was told is that something dark has been making its way towards Camp Half-Blood, and Lady Artemis is worried."

"Uh-oh. That sounds bad… What sort of m-monster could worry a g-goddess like Artemis?" Grover stuttered.

"Well, let's think logically. I'm assuming it can't be Typhon?" Annabeth asked Thalia.

"No, of course not. He and his wife Echidna have been accounted for. I'm sorry I can't be of much help, but that's all I know." Thalia stated. A long, heavy silence followed.

Breaking the pause, I asked, "Should we warn Chiron?"

"No, I think its best we keep this to ourselves, at least until we know more," Thalia told us.

"But if this… whatever it is, if its worrying Artemis…" Grover trailed off. Thalia shifted uncomfortably.

"Look, Artemis herself didn't tell me she was worried. I talked to Alicia, one of my best Hunters, and all she said was Artemis seemed worried. Alicia could be misreading Artemis on this. Maybe she's just worried about some stupid stunt Apollo is planning, or whatever. But we should definitely keep quiet about this. I don't want to panic anyone." Thalia said firmly.

"Oh, all right," Grover said.

"I'm assuming you're going to keep us in the loop?" I said pointedly to Thalia. She nodded.

"Of course."


	5. Goodbyes

**Thalia's POV- Thursday (5:30am)**

Mornings suck. Especially today. I not only had to get up at 5 o' freaking clock, but now I had to go wake up my grumpy friends and tell them I was leaving. Today was the day I had to meet up with my Hunters. My friends, like me, are not morning people. But they'd be angrier about me leaving without saying a final goodbye than waking them up.

I put my packed bag on the porch of the Zeus cabin, and promptly set off towards Annabeth's cabin. I hesitated at the door, and then let myself in. I shook Annabeth awake, and she looked like she was about to go for her knife until she realized it was me. I motioned towards the door. She got up and followed me.

Once outside, Annabeth gave me a hug. "I'm gonna miss you!"

"I'll miss you, too, Annabeth," I assured her.

"Be careful on your way back, and send us an I-M when you get there," she said when we let go.

"Sheesh, Annabeth, you worry too much. I'll be fine!" I reassured her. We talked a while longer, and then she asked me if I wanted her to see me off, but I talked her into going back to bed. After one last hug, she went back into her cabin. My good-bye to Grover was pretty much the same. Hugs and a promise to I-M when I reach my Hunters. I sighed. It was time to do what I've been dreading all morning. I had to wake up Percy.

When I reached the Poseidon cabin, I knock quietly on the door, hoping Percy would already be up. Yeah, right. Unsurprisingly, there was no response. I knocked louder. No response. I kicked the door as hard I could. I heard the creak of a mattress, then heard Percy swear from inside. I was about to announce that it was me when the door was wrenched open to reveal Percy standing there in sweatpants and an old tee shirt.

"BLACKJACK, THIS IS THE SECOND TIME TONIGHT, AND IF-!" Percy stopped yelling abruptly when he realized who it was. "Oh… Hi, Thalia." He blushed slightly. I laughed, and returned the greeting. At least he was embarrassed, as opposed to being ticked off at how early it was.

"Dude, nice hair," I said slyly, indicating the swirl of black flyaways and cowlicks. He blushed an even deeper red and told me to shut up, and asked me what I wanted. I laughed again.

"Your head really _is _full of kelp. I came to say goodbye! I'm leaving this morning, remember?"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry, I forgot," he said. I rolled my eyes. Silence followed.

"Well…?" I prompted him. He regarded me coldly, then growled, "I still haven't decided whether or not I'm more irritated about being woken up, or sad about you leaving." But a twinkle in his eye told me he was kidding. I responded by giving him a hug.

"I really am gonna miss you, Seaweed Brain."

"I'll miss you, too."

"Even after I did the injustice of waking you up at nearly 6 in the morning?" I giggled.

"Even after that," he told me as we let go. "I'm assuming you already talked to Grover and Annabeth?"

"Yeah. I decided to let you sleep as long as possible before waking you."

"Smart girl. I guess since you talked to them already, I don't have to lecture you about being careful and telling us when you meet up with the Hunters."

"Nope."

"Good, then. Be safe, Thal, and don't do anything stupid!" he advised me. I snorted.

"Are you kidding? That's your job, hero." I winked.

He smiled. "Bye, Thalia."

"Goodbye, Percy."

I left him standing there, and went to grab my bag from my cabin. I made my way past the big house and to my tree before turning to look back at the camp one more time. There, leaning in the doorway of the Poseidon cabin, was the figure of a boy watching me take my leave. I waved at him, and Percy raised his hand in farewell one last time before slipping inside and closing the door behind him.

_Short chapter, I know. Sorry…. Long wait, I know. Again… sorry. I'll do my best to be better about both. Thanks for reading, and please review, so I have the motivation to continue this even when school starts. THANKS! :D_


	6. Missing

**Percy's POV –The next Saturday **

It's weird not having Thalia around. Quieter. It's even a bit lonely. Annabeth has been reading more than ever lately, because she's still upset about the whole Luke thing. Not crying-her-eyes-out-hating-the-world-upset, but still sad. I guess reading helps her not think about it. Oh, well. Whatever makes her happy, I guess.

Grover, on the other hand, has been super busy. Since being elected onto the Council of Cloven Elders, he's been having less time to hang out with us. I mean, don't get me wrong, I totally understand. Duty calls. But I can't help but feel a little lonely. Up until now, Thalia has been the one I could always count on to hang out with. But now that she's gone, I spend most of my time training, or playing with Mrs. O'Leary.

The last week of summer was passing quickly, and camp was looking great. The new cabins were awesome, and new demigods were arriving everyday. I saw a new face at least twice a day. The gods had made good on their promise to me.

Unfortunately, things weren't perfect. We had new problems. Iris-messaging wasn't working for anyone. This was unheard of. Dionysus tried to make contact with Hermes to see if it would work for gods, but all he got was a menacing swirl of darkness hovering in midair. Even after it dissipated, it left a creepy chill in the air. This was so disturbing that naturally every single camper and satyr in the place started doing it for dares. Idiots. After one girl from the Ares cabin accidentally inhaled a little bit of the dark mist and passed out cold for two days, Chiron decided it was time to put his foot (hoof?) down. No one was to attempt an Iris message until further notice. It was official. We had no way of quickly contacting anybody on the outside, and they had no way of contacting us in emergencies.

That is, of course, unless you used your cell phone, which wasn't a good idea. Because it was the end of summer, everyone needed to contact their families to make plans. So there was a lot of cell phone calls anyway. Of course, this gave our position away to every single monster in the state. So every day we had tons of unwanted visitors lurking around our borders. This was especially bad now, because of all the new campers coming in. We had to use border patrol again, to help new campers make it safely inside the camp.

Of course, I hadn't forgotten what Thalia had warned us. _All I was told is that something dark has been making its way towards Camp Half-Blood…_ Could this be the new threat? I didn't know, and I couldn't ask Thalia for updates, because Iris messaging wasn't working. I talked to Annabeth and Grover about it, and they seemed worried too. We decided it was time to tell Chiron about it at the Big House. After we told him our story, he seemed troubled. Join the club.

"Well, I can't pretend I'm not worried," he said, "But it _could _just be coincidence." We stared at him in disbelief. He gave us a weak smile. "Okay, you're right. Probably not coincidence. I will attempt to get a hold of Artemis and-"

"You're not using I-M!?" I interrupted, shocked. Grover elbowed me.

Chiron gave me a stern look and said, "Of course I'm not, Percy. As I was saying, I will attempt to contact Artemis and get an update on their situation. But for the time being, you should listen to Thalia. Keep it quiet, because we don't want to cause a panic."

"Sir," Annabeth started, "if I were the enemy, I would attack now. When we're still regrouping from the war. It makes sense. The enemy will wait until everyone leaves for school, and attack camp. Then they could pick us off one by one as we all come back to help. And without Iris messaging, there would be no way to tell everyone to stay away. It's a perfect plan."

"But, Annabeth… M-maybe we'll get lucky and the Hunters will take out whatever it is out before it can do any damage," Grover said hopefully.

Annabeth didn't seem convinced. "Maybe," she allowed, "But we should still be ready for anything."

**Thalia's POV- Meanwhile**

Empty. That's how I found the Hunters campsite. Actually, it wasn't empty. The tents and food were still there, but totally trampled. Ransacked. I couldn't breathe. _Where is everybody? _There was no one to be seen. I was tempted to call out, but too terrified of what could lie waiting in the thick woods around me. I couldn't see anything menacing. I couldn't hear anything menacing. I was still standing frozen, trying to take everything in, when a young girl of twelve stepped into the clearing.

"Well, Thalia, it appears you're just as alarmed as I am," Artemis said grimly,"We have a new problem. A new threat. But this treat we must face alone for now, because my Hunters are missing."


	7. Here We Go Again

_So I officially feel terrible. What with school starting, and all my tough classes, I've totally forgotten to update. But anyway, I feel really bad for leaving such a cliff hanger and then totally disappearing off the face of the planet for months… SORRY! Virtual cookies for everyone! *Passes out virtual cookies* _

**Thalia's POV- Continued**

"M-Missing?" I gasped. Artemis nodded grimly.

"They disappeared this morning, before the sun came up. I have searched the perimeter of the camp, and they left no clue or trace to their whereabouts."

"But… they can't have just evaporated… and there's no way they could have just left without leaving a trace that you could find. I know we're good, but we're not _that_ good…," I mused, until the obvious hit me. I didn't know what had taken me so long when the answer was staring me right in the face. "The c-campsite. It's totally ransacked. They would never have left it like this, unless…unless" I trailed off, not wanting to believe it.

"Unless there was outside involvement," Artemis finished quietly.

**Percy POV- 1 hour later**

I whirled around and raised my shield just before the sword smacked into my shoulder. Invincible or not, getting poked in the shoulder blade by a very angry Ares camper would not feel too good. Deflecting his blow with my shield, I brought my own sword up and nailed his armor-covered stomach as hard as I could. I knocked the wind out of him, and he doubled over, swearing at me between gasps.

"You little… During capture the flag, you'll pay… I'm gonna…" he threatened. I never found out what he was going to do, because just then a satyr came trotting up to me.

"Percy Jackson, Chiron told me you are to report to the big house immediately, no matter who you are currently using as a practice dummy…." he reported, glancing nervously at the gasping Ares camper.

I grinned smugly. "No problem!" The satyr trotted off. Just then, the Ares camper, Joel or something, lunged at me. I reacted quickly, and ducked out of his way. He swept past me, and using his own momentum, I sent him sprawling into the mud puddle that pooled a few feet away.

"Nice try, " I told him, then took off at an easy jog to the Big House. I wondered what Chiron needed me for. Before I made it to the big house, I heard someone call my name behind me. I turned, and smiled when I saw Annabeth coming over to me.

"Chiron needs you too, huh?" I asked. She nodded nervously.

"I wonder what's going on?"

"I dunno," I told her, "maybe it has something to do with border patrol…?"

"Maybe," she allowed. As she continued suggesting theories, the big house came into view. There, sitting on the porch swing with her back to us, was a 15-going on-16-year old girl with long, pretty black hair. She had her head in her hands, and was shaking. I noticed her before Annabeth.

"Thalia!?" I yelped. Annabeth looked in the direction I was staring and gasped. Thalia raised her head and looked at us. Her eyes were red and puffy.

**Thalia's POV**

"Hey, Seaweed Brain," I said weakly, "Hi, Annabeth."

"Thalia, what's wrong!?" Annabeth asked me, walking over and putting her arm around my shoulders. I filled them in on what had happened.

"Do you think it has something to do with the problems we've been having Iris messaging?" Percy queried. He had been leaning against the porch rail during my entire explanation. His expression was unreadable. I was unnerved by this, because Percy's usually an open book. He only hides his emotions when he's really bothered by something.

"I think it has everything to do with it," I responded quietly. A tense silence fell over our group.

The Big House door opened and Artemis came out, looking forlorn. "Thalia, may I have a word with you?" I nodded and followed her inside. In the hallway, she turned to me and said seriously, "Thalia, as my lieutenant, I need your assistance in saving our sisters in arms. Chiron and I have agreed that a quest is in order. You will lead this quest, and you need to choose two campers to accompany you. Is it safe to assume that Miss Chase and Mr. Jackson will be your choices?"

I nodded, "There's no one I trust more."

"Very well, child. Go talk to your friends, then proceed to go find Miss Dare to receive your prophesy."

**Percy's POV**

"Will you guys come with me?" Thalia asked.

"Of course! You don't even have to ask!" Annabeth assured her . Both girls turned to me.

"Well… I don't know… I've really wanted to try out that new basketball court we got put in," I teased. Annabeth and Thalia both smacked the back of my head. "Ouch!" I complained, "I was just trying to lighten the mood… But yeah, Thal. You can count me in! It'll be just like old times. Lots of arguing and monsters trying to kill us." They rolled their eyes at me.

"I guess it's time for you to pay Rachel a visit, huh?" Annabeth asked. Thalia nodded and took off to find her.

Annabeth and I were waiting on the porch in silence when Thalia came back looking shaken. We looked at her quizzically, and without any further prompting, she reeled off the prophecy:

_You shall find the lost in the darkest of dungeons_

_You shall find at the start the darkest of swordsmen_

_You shall dwindle in numbers, for a sister is lost_

_You shall vanquish the enemy at the highest of costs_

We pondered that in somber silence for a moment, trying to work out the mysterious riddle. I could practically see the gears turning in Annabeth's head. Finally, she spoke up.

"Well, this is a pretty straight forward prophesy. _You shall find the lost in the darkest of dungeons. _Obviously, the lost being referred to is the Hunters, and we'll find them somewhere dark, I guess. _You shall find at the start the darkest of swordsmen. _I don't know who this swordsman is, butI have a sneaking suspicion of where the start is… _You shall dwindle in numbers, for a sister is lost. _I really don't like this line. It sounds as though we're going to lose one of the Hunters. _You shall vanquish the enemy at the highest of costs_. Fairly obvious, but really vague. We'll succeed, but at a high price."

"Oh… Well, crap!" I said, "This sounds like a lot of fu-"

"Shut up for a minute, Percy," Thalia told me, "Annabeth, you said you had some idea of where this start is. Would you care to elaborate?"

Annabeth gave us a sly grin. "Have either of you two ever visited the original Mount Olympus?"


	8. AN: This fic is dead as a doornail

_Final Author's Note_: I swore to myself that I wouldn't be one of these authors when I started this, but I'm abandoning this fic. I'm just too irritated with the new heroes of Olympus books. I really think Rick Riordan should have just left camp halfblood alone. I really dislike the 3rd person point of view, I don't like the new characters that much either. Jason just bores me. I'm really sad he brought Percy in the thick of it, too. I think Rick Riordan is a one-trick pony. The Percy Jackson books were freaking amazing, Kane Chronicles were great, but this new series to me is just pushing it for me. Roman gods, too? With recycled characters? I'm sorry about the rant, but it's the only way I could explain why I'm abandoning this fic. The new books just ruined it for me, totally sucked all my inspiration out of me. Please don't flame me on the opinions I have on the new books, but I fully deserve any flames about me abandoning this. I really hate to leave you hanging though, so I will propose two options, let me know in a review or PM what you think I should do:

Option A: Post the summary of how the rest of the fic was going to go. It would probably be no more than three to four hundred words.

Option B: Put it up for adoption. I would email the new author my summary on the rest of the plot and it would be his/her choice on what (if anything) they pull from it. Any interested authors, PM me asap.

So let me know what i should do. I'll look at the first five responses on what i should do, and then go on majority. I'm so sorry about this, but anything i post would be utter crap if i forced myself to continue something I so intensely disliked.


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